Four Maurkice Pouncey Contract Details Not Being Talked About Enough

Now that the ink has dried on the five-year contract extension signed Thursday by Pittsburgh Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey, here is four key facts related to the deal that many people aren’t discussing and taking into account.

1. 2014 Cap Hit Lowered – Thanks to the team rolling some of Pouncey’s old money into his extension, the 2014 cap charge for the center was actually lowered by $263,375. If the early numbers are correct, Pouncey’s 2014 cap charge will be $5,000,625.

2. Low Guaranteed Money – When the Cleveland Browns decided to match the offer sheet given to center Alex Mack by the Jacksonville Jaguars, it meant guaranteeing his base salaries in 2014, 2015 and 2016. Those base salaries total out at $26 million. The Steelers, on the other hand, gave Pouncey a $13 million signing bonus and a $1 million base salary in 2014 for a grand total of $14 million guaranteed.

3. Non-Guaranteed Roster Bonuses In 2015 And 2016 – Pouncey is due non-guaranteed roster bonuses in 2015 and 2016 in the amounts of $3.75 million and $3.5 million respectively. These bonuses are due in the early part of March of their respective years. There’s no reason to think that Pouncey won’t collect them both, but if he gets in trouble off of the field or plays extremely poorly, they can cut him before paying them in each year. Also, should the need arise, these roster bonuses can be turned into signing bonuses if the team needs cap space. It’s just a worst case scenario that I thought I would point out, so don’t freak out.

4. Easy To Cut After 2016 Season – Once again, I don’t expect this to happen, but should the Steelers decide they need to part ways with Pouncey after the 2016 season, his dead money charge in years 2017 and 2018 would only be $2.6 million if designated a post June 1 release.

Cool cool… the fact that they can part ways with very little dead money toward the backend is nice

toonasteel

I’m crying with happiness like Pouncey at his presser. This seems to be a very fair deal for both sides.

Bill

Smart contract; good for both sides under realistic conditions. Steelers and the league in general seem to be coming to the realization that guaranteed money can kill you. The second most consideration a team must have after the quarterback is that twelfth starter in every game; the salary cap.

Donte Williams

the steelers are doing it good reason i love this organization they dont over pay for players that are not living up to the hype hopefully they get Worlds on a long term deal to lower his cap hit and seeing that they have singed 8 out of 9 Rooks they are heading in the right direction. all these nay sayers about pouncey this pouncey that fail to realize he was one of if not the best center in the league before that freak injury i hope he bounces back and shuts these haters up

Jacque Strappe

Agree.

PA2AK

Nice to see him agree to this. He’s done some minor goofy things over the years, but he seems to have a good head on his shoulders. Taking a deal like this shows that (especially when contrasting it to the norm).

cencalsteeler

Smart business!

http://thereactionblog.com Michael Stickings

It’s really an amazing deal. Dave, I think you (and Alex on the podcast yesterday) deserve a lot of credit for breaking it down to show just how team-friendly it is.

What I like about this one, and so many others, is that while it’s team-friendly it doesn’t take advantage of the player. It’s not lop-sided or abusive. It’s balanced, which is really the way contracts should be. And it speaks, I think, to how respected the organization is, and specifically the people in positions of authority, by the players themselves. I know there are players who leave, and it’s hard to fault them for seeking more money or better opportunities elsewhere, but being a Steeler obviously means a lot to these guys, and I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that the respect is mutual.

Matt Manzo

Awesome! Seems a little more player friendly than Kaps deal but still looking out for the team, too!

Matt Manzo

I should’ve read yours first, I just said the same thing!

StarSpangledSteeler

I have criticized the Steelers for doing this deal right now. But they have done a nice job of protecting themselves against future injury.

Who would’ve thought Woodley would take such a drastic turn in health? His contract was very painful to absorb. The low guaranteed money is a very big deal in this particular situation.

The Steelers did a similar thing with Antonio Brown. They’re scheduled to pay him a relatively high salary each year going forward. But none of it is guaranteed. So it not only protects them. It gives them flexibility to restructure.

It’s HIGHLY likely they will be restructuring Pouncey as we move forward.

steelster

Yes I think the steelers have learned from past mistakes. That dead money Woodley contract really hurt. I hope the big ben extension considers the dead money problem and they have a way out if a problem occurs.